Improved brick-press



Us@ STATES All?.Mriivr4i @FF-ron.,

DAvID w.`sEEDEY, oF ALBANY, New Yonx.

IMPRoVl-:D BRICK-PRESS.

Specification forming part of `Letters Patent No. 54,967, dated May 2Q,1866.

To `all whom it may concern: i i

Be. it known that I, DAviD W. SEELEY, o Albany, in the county of Albanyand State of New York, have invented a new and Improved Brick-Machine;and I do hereby declare that the ifollowing isa full, clear, and exactdescription thereof, reference being had to the accompanying drawings,making apart of this specification, in which- Figure l isa top view oftheimproved press. Fig; 2 is a longitudinal section through the press,taken in a vertical plane through its center. Fig. 3 is a sectionalview, showing the piston and mold-box in positions for discharging abrick. Fig. 4 is a transverse section taken through the press in thevertical plane indicated by red linear m in Fig. 3. Fig. 5is a view` ofthe cam or eccentric.

Similar letters of reference indicate corresponding parts in the severalfigures.

This invention relates to an improvement on machinery which is adaptedfor making bricks of clay which is dry, or nearly so, which improvementis intended for expelling the air from the clay during the operation ofmolding it, and also to obviate the unequal expansion of the bricksduring the act of releasing them from the molds, as will be hereinafterexplained.

To enable others skilled in the art to understand my invention, I willdescribe its construction and operation.

Inl the accompanying drawings, A represen ts the frame for containingand supporting the machinery for moldin g the clay and subjecting it toan extraordinary pressure.

B is a horizontal transverse shaft which has its bearings near one endand on top of said frame, and which carries on its ends two largewheels, C C, that serve as cranksA or eccentric wheels for communicatinga reciprocating movement to a mold-box, D.

G is an eccentric or cam upon the shaft B, which communicates areciprocatin g movement to a piston, E.

The mold-box consists of four walls, a t a a2, forming four sides of achamber within which the clay is pressed. The upper wall, a', is ahorizontal plate extending transversely across the top of the 'frame Aand connected to the vertical sides thereof by means of tenons fittinginto longitudinal grooves, so as to allow themold-box to reciprocate theproper distance and atthesame time to prevent itfrom rising.

turned.

y The piston E forms one of the walls between which the clay is pressed,and the stationaryr i platen G, opposite the end of this piston E;

forms the other wall. The piston is formed on or suitably applied to areciprocating frame, which consists of two side bars, c c, workingbetween the sides of the frame A in suitable guides, which barsterminate at their rear ends in a yoke, al, by means of which theeccentric C is caused to give a reciprocating movement to the frame andits piston. The forward ends of the bars c c are supported between thesides of frame A and the flxed platen G, as shown in Fig. 1, and thesebars sustain the two sides a et of the mold-box against outward strain.

The ends of the platen and piston are perforated, as shown in Figs.2,3,and 4, and these perforations communicate with openings c e, for thepurpose of permitting the air to escape from the clay during the act ofpressing.

The relation ofthe eccentric or cam C on shaft B and the eccentricwrist-pins g g on wheels U C is such that when the piston E hascompleted its back stroke the hopper-hole b through the upper wall, a',of the box D will have been moved over the chamber P, in which the clayis pressed, as shown in Fig. 1, and when the face of the box D has beenmoved to the position indicated in Fig. 3 the piston E will havecompleted its forward or pressing stroke. The box D then moves slightlyforward, and at the same time the piston E is caused to recede andrelease the brick. The press-box and follower then move back together tothe position shown in Fig. 2. Vhen the piston E has completed itsforward or pressing stroke the press-box D will have exposed four sidesof the brick and left it between the piston and platen, as in Fig. 3, tobe discharged when the piston commences to make its back stroke. Thepiston does not move forward after the box D exposes any portion of thebrick, or, in other words, the clay is supported on all sides during theact of pressing it.

In pressing clay which is dry, or nearly dry,

into bricks by powerful machinery which willv l The opening b throughthe upper plate, ab y is the hopper through which the clay is fed to`the molding-chtunber. IThe pitlnan-rods F F connect the box D with"wrist-pins on the sides of the wheels U G, and reciprocate said box whenthese wheels are condense the clay, provision must be made for the freeescape ot' air contained therein, and

in removing the pressure from the pressed blocks they must be sustainedfirmly on two opposite sides while their other four sides are beingreleased from pressure, in order that the blocks or bricks may expandequally.

In brick machines which operate upon a different principle from the oneabove describedthat is to say, in machines which are so -constructedthat the bricks are not supported on two opposite sides, as I haveshown-the unsupported portions ot the bricks are apt to expand verysuddenly and crack or crumble to pieces. If the bricks are dischargedfrom below the piston and platen Ipropose to receive them upon anendless apron and conduct them off thereby and deliver them at one endof the press. 1f the bricks are to be delivered at the top of themachine a spring or elevator of any suitable description will beemployed.

In Fig. 5 I have represented a forni of cam or eccentric, C', which willallow the piston E to remain stationary While the mold-box D is drawnfrom the edges of the brick, as hereinabove contemplated.

Having th/us described my invention, what I claim as new, and desire tosecure by Letters Patent, is

1,. A brick-press which is so constructed that the brick will besupported on two opposite sides during the act of releasing the othersides of the brick, substantially as described.

2. The combination of a reciprocating moldboX, D, a reciprocatingpiston, E, and a platen, Gr, the piston and platen having each anirregular motion, and all operating so as to press and release bricks,substantially as described.

3. Dischargin g the bricks from the pressing devices, substantially asdescribed.

4. Constructing the ends of the rectilinearmoving piston and platensubstantially as described.

, DAVID W. SEELEY.

f Witnesses:

J oHN H. SAND,

J. H. BEstr.

